Reynolds/Democrat photo
Officer Andrea White of the Milton Police Department wears one of the new AXON Flex on-body cameras the department is now using. The small camera sits on a headband while the battery pack is small enough to fit in her front chest pocket.

MILTON — Complaints are down and successful court cases are up for the Milton Police Department, thanks in large part to their new on-body cameras.

Back in December, the department bought three AXON Flex cameras to use around town for everything from traffic stops to domestic disputes. The camera, just slightly larger than a tube of Chapstick, attaches to a headset. Local officers have three options for attaching the camera; Oakley glasses, a headband, or a clip on their hats. The camera, made by Taser, shows the officer’s point of view.

The cameras, which are significantly cheaper than cruiser cameras, cost about $1,000 as opposed to $2,500 and offer a mobility their predecessors couldn’t.

“They go everywhere the officer goes,” said Chief Richard Krauss.

Many departments throughout the state operate with dashboard cameras in their vehicles. These cameras pick up traffic stops and anything that may take place in front of the officer’s vehicle. Only a select few departments in the state have opted to utilize the new on-body cameras.

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The small AXON Flex on-body camera that the Milton Police Department is now using is shown here attached to a headband worn by Andrea White, offering her a genuine point of view shot in recordings. (Reynolds/Democrat photo)

“In-cruiser cameras are only good for about 30 percent of all activity,” said Krauss. The new cameras now pick up roughly 80 percent of all activity by the department, according to Krauss.

“They’re beneficial,” said Officer Andrea White. “It captures things we may not have even caught on to,” she said.

“It’s like a second set of eyes. The camera isn’t going to lie. Nothing will happen on the scene that it won’t catch,” said Krauss, of the small camera with a 75-degree field of view.

According to the Taser website, “Ninety-three percent of complaints are dismissed when there is video.”

White agreed, stating there were a lot fewer complaints against officers since they began using the cameras.

White said she’s seen a major improvement in time spent in court as well. Krauss explained that in any case where the cameras were used, his officers have not had to testify.

Currently the department has three cameras, one for each on-duty officer. The department, which currently has seven full-time officers, has one on-duty officer during each shift, with additional officers as needed. There is always at least one camera available during each shift, with some overlapping.

Krauss talked of a suspected impaired driving stop in which he conducted a field sobriety check. “The camera picked up every misstep and the balance issues when he tried to stand on one leg,” he said.

White spoke of using the camera during a traffic stop for speeding. She said that if she clocked a driver going 45 mph in a 30 mph zone and looked down at the radar, the camera would actually capture the infraction on video. Another area where the cameras have helped is when an officer is taking a testimony. “Few people can write a story, but many people can tell a story,” said Krauss, who added that details like the person’s emotional state are picked up by the camera.

White also said that people behave better. “When you tell them they’re being audio and video recorded, they act different,” she said.

Krauss said that since getting the cameras at the end of 2012, only four people have asked them to turn the cameras off. He explained the camera is permitted to record, though they always tell people when they are being recorded, except in places where there’s an expectation of privacy, such as inside a home. However, if an arrest is under way, recording is permitted even in those places.

The department, however, only records criminal incidents or what appears to be criminal incidents. All recorded footage falls into five categories; traffic stop, arrest, use of force, non-investigatory, and training. Some footage falls into multiple categories.

The video footage, which can be watched but not stored as live feed over a nearby cell phone, is loaded onto the server and can’t be deleted without the chief’s approval. The footage is then stored for various lengths of time, depending on its categories, with arrests remaining in the file forever.

While Krauss hopes to one day have a camera for each officer, he said “right now I like how they’re being used.”

“Like anything, when your adding to your tools, it’s a change,” said White of adjusting to the camera. “Now, if I’m not wearing it, I feel like I’m forgetting a piece of equipment.”